Weekly Thought Archives > Wait to Worry

Wait to Worry

Perseverance requires "enemy management." Worry is one of the greatest enemies of holding on in tough times.

When the children (Brenda, Fred, Jr., and Mary Helen) were growing up, my wife Mary Alice would be working at the kitchen sink, hear a scream in the front yard. She knew this positively meant arms and legs were strewn across the yard. She would snatch off her apron and take off for the front door like a jaybird with its tail on fire. She’d grab the front door with all her strength. I was always glad it was unlocked, otherwise she would have broken her arm!

Expectiing the worst, she ran out onto the porch to find not body parts, but children dusting off and running around. I always said to her, "Honey, you’ve done enough worrying between the sink and the front door to fill the Empire State Building. Why don’t you wait to worry?"

When I ask people in a large group what they are worrying about this time last year, I get a lot of laughs. Actually, most can’t remember. Then I ask them if they have a current worry --- you see nods from everybody. Then I remind them that the average worrier is 92% inefficient -- only 8% of what we worry about ever comes true.

Planned action is one of the best escapes from worry. Planning is not worrying; planning is achievement. The moment you inject planning into confusion, it moves toward order and away from chaos. A plan turns your mind from the nebulous, consuming worry to concrete action. From there you move to the joy of accomplishment from achieving.

If nothing can be done, dismiss it. If something can be done, do it.

Recently I’ve been visiting with businessmen who’ve been having some very difficult financial problems. My experience tells me that very few succeed without failures. It is not failure that matters, but the reaction to it which builds experience and character. When real troubles come, we survive. Out of this survival, we develop strength.

Thomas Kelley, the devout Quaker wrote, "There is a last rock (God) for your soul. A resting place of absolute peace and joy and power and radiance and security." He was a man who knew real problems, but he knew that trust in God, not worry is the answer.

This week think about: 1) What am I worrying about today? 2) How am I persevering under pressure? 3) Who can I strengthen today?

Words of Wisdom: "If nothing can be done, dismiss it; if something can be done, do it."

Wisdom from the Word: "The Lord bless you and protect you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon youand give you peace." (Numbers 6:24 NET Bible)